OTTAWA - With the 2013 athletics season drawing to a close and on the heels of Canada's best ever showing at the International Association of Athletics Federtations (IAAF) World Championships, Athletics Canada is pleased to turn its attention to the development of the sport in Canada and its next generation of athletes by engaging clubs across Canada.

Athletics Canada, as a founding member of the Club Excellence program, is committed to the program's missions of "building a network of healthy, strong and sustainable sport clubs and sport organizations, across Canada". The Club Excellence framework and certification standards guide investment in club development and identify priority areas for program development.

The first phase of activation begins immediately, through to March 31st, 2014. During this initial stage Athletics Canada will work hand in hand with four provincial branches (Athletics New Brunswick, the Fédération québécoise d'athlétisme, Athletics Ontario and Athletics Alberta )to develop tailored strategies to support club development within each province, identifying the most effective ways to assist clubs in growing and developing programming.

Activities include the development of club forums to identify sport development priorities within designated regions, educational presentations targeted at assisting club administrators in improving club operations, financial support for clubs to attend multisport Club Excellence workshops, as well as direct staff support and reimbursement of certification costs to clubs who register as Club Excellence Candidate Clubs. Additional benefits will be extended to clubs once they achieve certification.

The aim is to have 20 athletics clubs in Canada registered as Candidate Clubs by March 31st, 2014, and at least ten clubs achieving level one certification. While specific support initiatives are targeted in four provinces for this phase, clubs across Canada are encouraged to register as Candidate Clubs, these clubs will receive support from Athletics Canada's Manager, Domestic Programs and reimbursement of registration fees.

With the 2013 Canada Games having coming to a close last Saturday night in Sherbrooke, Quebec, comes a look back at New Brunswick's best ever showing in athletics, with many medals, provincial records, and even a Canadian record set.

In past Canada Games, the athletics contingent of Team New Brunswick has only won 3 medals at one edition of the games, done four times (1981, 1993, 1997, 2001). At this year's edition of the games, the New Brunswick athletics team was able to capture 9 medals, including 2 gold, 4 silver, and 3 bronze.

- Genevieve Lalonde of Moncton captured the gold medal in the women's 2000m steeplechase with a time of 6:32.45, which also broke the New Brunswick, Canada Games, and Canadian record in the event and beat out second place by almost 13 seconds. Just two days later, Lalonde captured the bronze medal in the women's 1500m, coming in with a time of 4:26.69.

- Veronica Coombes of Moncton captured 3 silver medals in the women's wheelchair 200m, 400m, and 1500m, smashing her provincial record in the 1500m by almost 24 seconds, finishing with a time of 4:41.76. With Coombes being just 15 years old, she will still have eligibility to compete at the 2017, 2021, and 2025 editions of the games!

-Sarah MacPherson of Fredericton captured the bronze medal in a sprint finish to the women's 5000m, finishing in a time of 17:35.72.

- Mitch Quigg of Saint John captured the silver medal in the men's decathlon after two tough days of events, breaking the provincial record in the event with a score of 6574, while also tying the provincial record in the pole vault, clearing 4.00 meters. Just two days later, Quigg captured the bronze medal in the men's javelin, throwing a personal best of 66.30 meters.

- Caleb Jones of Saint John captured the gold medal in the men's javelin with as throw of 72.42 meters, beating out the silver medal position by almost 4 meters. As well, several provincial records were set in numerous events,

- The men's 4x100m team, composed of Alex Peabody of Saint John, Dan Brown of Hampton, Brandon Cleghorn of Salsbury, and Alexander Willinston of Bay du Vin, ran to a time of 42.63, breaking the New Brunswick senior record dating back to 1989.

- The women's 4x400m team, comprised of Amy-Lynn Grant of Beresford, Grace Annear of Hampton, Rachelle MacDonald of Saint John, and Sarah Myatt of Fredericton, destroyed the provincial record in the event, breaking it by close to 11 seconds in the qualifying, then breaking the record again in the finals by less than half a second, running to a time of 3:47.74.

- The men's 4x400m team, comprised of Alexandre Coholan of Moncton, Adam Gaudes of Fredericton, Daniel Brown of Saint John, and Jeffrey Retallick of Fredericton, smashed the provincial record, set 22 years ago, with a time of 3:19.03.

- Jennifer Bell of Chaplin Island set a new provincial junior record in the women’s shot put with a throw of 12.51 meters.

- Christel Robichaud achieved a personal best and provincial record in the para discus with a throw of 13.02 meters.

With just one competition left for New Brunswick track athletes, the Jeux de la Francophonie Internationale, we begin to transition into the cross country season, set to start September 14th at the University of New Brunswick / St. Thomas University cross country meet.

Full Results to Canada Games can be found here: http://anb.ca/Results/view-results.php?id=575

Aug 16 2013 - Last day of Canada Games for NB athletics: 2 medals

On the last night of athletics at the 2013 Canada Games, New Brunswick athletes carried the momentum created over the past week at the event, taking home 2 medals to finish off the week with 9 medals and creating some impressive performances.

- Sarah MacPherson of Fredericton captured the bronze medal in a close sprint finish, coming in with a time of 17:35.72, just .40 behind the silver position, while teammate Lynette Manuel ran to a new person best, placing 19th in a time of 19:14.57.

- Veronica Coombes of Moncton captured her third silver medal of the games, finishing the 200m in a time of 39.78.

- The women's 4x400m team, comprised of Amy-Lynn Grant (Beresford), Grace Annear (Hampton), Rachelle MacDonald (Saint John), and Sarah Myatt (Fredericton), placed 6th in a new provincial record, which they broke in the qualifying round, with a time of 3:47.74.

- Zoe Berry placed 11th in the women's javelin final with a throw of 37.25 meters.

-James Brace of Interval was 8th in 33.82 in the wheelchair 200m.

- Grace Annear of Hampton placed 7 in the women's 800m final in a time of 2:12.74. Sarah Myatt of Fredericton taking first place in the B final (9th overall) in 2:12.88 - Adam Gaudes of Fredericton placed 7 in the men's 800m final in a time of 1:50.50.

- Rilind Dragoshi of Moncton placed 7th in the men's para discus with a throw of 7m10 meters.

- Stephanie Doiron of Colette placed 6th in the women's high jump final with a jump of 1.65.

- Alexander Williston of Bay du Vin finished 10 in the 200m in a time of 22.21, while Jeffrey Retallick of Fredericton finished 15th in a time of 23.02.

- Chris Robertson of Moncton finished 10th in the men's discus final with a throw of 39.63 meters.

-Matt Mcneil of Saint John was 6th in the 5000m men in a new personal best time of 14:45.13.

- Brandon Cleghorn of Salisbury finished 11th in the men's long jump final with a jump of 6.31 meters, just two centimetres behind his personal best.

-Shawna Mckay of Moncton was 12th inthe womne's 200m in a time of 25.44 while Amy Lynn Grant was 14th in a time 25.77.

-In the Special O Men's 200m saw John Oakley finish 29.45 to finish 13th. In the women's 200m Special O Crystal Bradley was 13th in 34.81 while Vero LeBlanc was 15th in 39.25.

- Vicky Baba of Oromocto ran 16.85 to finish 11th in the 100m Hurdle.

-In the hepthalon Sydney Macdonal of Miramichi finished with 3756 point to finish 9th place.

''This week was an outstanding example of the progress we are seeing in New Brunswick athletics. Other provinces have taken notice of New Brunswick and the east coast'' said Dr Earl Church (ChPC). He added, ''I hope the athletes are proud of themselves and their performances.I know that other provinces have taken notice.

Aug 15 2013 - Highlight of day 4: 5 medals for team NB Athletics

The fourth day of competition at the Sherbrooke track & field stadium saw New Brunswick post a best ever set of results, winning 5 medals to bring the total to 7 for the week so far. The day was highlighted by the two-medal performance in the men's javelin. Caleb Jones, of Saint John, won the gold medal with a throw of 72.42m, while Mitch Quigg, also of Saint John, won the bronze with a throw of 66.30m. This represents the first time NB has won two medals in a single event.
Another major highlight came in the two-medal performance of Veronica Coombes, of Shediac Cape, who took two silver medals in the wheelchair 400m in 1:14.16 and the wheelchair 1500m in 4:41.76, which is a personal best and provincial record by over 24 seconds. This represents the first ever medals for NB in the para-athletics events.

Geneviève Lalonde, of Moncton, captured her second medal of the games winning a bronze medal in the 1500m running 4:26.69. Also in the 1500m, Sarah MacPherson, of Fredericton, ran 4:30.46 to come eighth. On the men's side, Matt McNeil, of Saint John, finished 9th in the 1500m with a personal best time of 3:56.14.
Naomie Maltais, of Val d'Amour, produced a major performance in the women's hammer throw with a personal best of 47.35m, which placed her 4th overall. She also followed this up with a 11th place finish in the discus with a best of 35.89m.
In the men's 100m, Alexander Williston, of Baie du Vin, finished 8th with a time of 11.06 - he was in fact the youngest athlete in that final. On the women's side, Shawna McKay, of Moncton, finished 15th in a time of 12.93, and Amy Lynn Grant, of Beresford, was 16th in 13.03. In the Special Olympics 100m for men, John Oakley was 13th in a time of 14.48 and J.P. Leger was 15th in a time of 14.97. The Special Olympic women's 100m event saw Chrystal Bradley take 13th in 17.18 while Vero LeBlanc was 16th in 17.89.
In the 400m, Jeff Retallick, of Fredericton, finished 15th with a time of 50.48 and Alex Coholan, of Moncton, was 16th in 51.28. In the women's 400m, Sarah Myatt, of Fredericton, came 12th with 57.53 and Bridget Brennan, of Bristol, was 15th in 59.78.
The men's 400m hurdles saw Brendan LeBlanc, of Riverview, run 57.89 for 12th place and Alex Coholan, of Moncton, was 13th in 58.12. In the women's 400m hurdles, Katie Robinson, of Saint John, came 12th in a time of 1:08.15.
In the men's 4x100m relay, the team of Alex Peabody of Saint John, Daniel Brown of Hampton, Brandon Cleghorn of Salisbury, and Alexander Williston of Baie du Vin, ran 42.78 to come 7th overall.
Sydney MacDonald, of Miramichi, completed the first day of the women's heptathlon in 9th place with a score of 2393 - action continues tomorrow.
ANB Director of High Performance, Steve LeBlanc ChPC, stated that "this is an outstanding performance for our province, and is a direct reflection of the level of commitment from our athletes and coaches. We feel this is only the beginning. New Brunswick will become a force to be reckoned with in the years to come. I feel that all of our athletes went out there to be game changers, and they were."

Aug 14 2013 - 2013 Canada Summer Games: The Homestretch

We are now at the midway point of the Canada Summer Games competition. It is at this time that New Brunswick athletes, if they have qualified, have a shot at getting on the podium as the majority of events are beginning their final rounds. Hammer throw is the only event remaining in a qualifying round on day 4. Our athletes are looking strong heading into the last stretch!

''We have some great events to come , we are looking to add more medals to the Two we got on day 2 of competition'' said Gabriel LeBlanc Technical Director of Athletics NB.

Aug 13 2013 - Day 2 for New Brunswick Athletics : 2 Medals

What a day to be from New Brunswick!!! The crowd was fantastic all day, as the NB athletes ran, threw and jumped PBs. The rain was no match for New Brunswick as the athletes preserved through some heavy showers.

Jeff Retallick finished 5th in his 200m heat with a new PB of 22.64s. Alexander Williston finished 3rd in the 2nd heat of the 200m in a time 22.21s. Both men advanced to the 200m Final B on Friday.

Shawna McKay finished 4th in her 200m heat with a PB of 25.33s. Amy Lynn Grant finished 5th in the 3rd 200m heat with a time of 25.59s. They both advance to the 200m Final B on Friday.

John Oakley finished 6th in his 200m Special O race with a time of 28.82s. JP Leger finished 4th in the 2nd heat of the 200m Special O with a time of 30.12s. Both men advanced to the Final B on Friday.

Vero LeBlanc finished 6th in her 200m Special O race with a time of 39.30s. Her teammate Chrystal Bradley finished 5th in the 2nd heat of the 200m Special O in a time of 34.48s. Both ladies advanced to the Final B on Friday.

Adam Gaudes finished 2nd in the 3rd heat of the 800m, 1:50.80, he secured his spot in the Final A on Friday. Unfortunately Nick MacMackin did not finish the race due to a previous injury.

Grace Annear took a commanding position in her heat of the 800m, finishing in 2nd to advance on placing into Friday’s A Final A Grace ran 2:12.02. Sarah Myatt finished 4th in her heat of the 800m with a new PB of 2:15.30s. She advanced to Friday’s Final B.

Both of New Brunswick’s 100m hurdlers have advanced to B Final on Friday. Sydney MacDonald finished 6th in her heat in a time of 16.45s. Vicky Babe finished 7th in the 2nd heat in a time of 17.32s.

Katie Robinson finished 10th in the 2000m steeplechase in a time of 7:10.04.

Genevieve Lalonde took home the GOLD medal after her impressive 2000m Steeplechase. Genevieve took a commanding lead from the start and finished 13 seconds faster than 2nd place in a time of 6:32.45. Not only was it a PB for Genevieve, but she also broke the NB provincial record, the Canadian record and Canada Games record. Way to go Gen!

Lee Wesselius finished 7th in the 3000m steeplechase in a time of 9:25.35. Ryan Cassidy finished 10th in a time of 9:25.86s.

James Brace finished 4th in his Para 200m heat in a time of 33.13s; he advanced to the A Final on Friday.

The 4x400m relay teams had the fans on their feet with exciting races on both the men’s and women’s side. The men’s team finished 4th in a time of 3:22.64, only seconds off the provincial record. They qualified for the A Final on Friday. The women’s team took the cake with their performance today, breaking the provincial record by 11 seconds. They finished 2nd in their heat, in 3:48.02 and easily qualified for the Final A on Friday. This time was the second fastest of teh day.

Bridget Brennan jumped 4.96m and will not advance to the final ; meanwhile Monika LeBlanc failed to qualified to the final.

David Kerr threw 11.37m to finish 8th in Group B of the Men’s Shot Put. Jonathan Gionet finished also 8th in Group A with a toss of 11.77m. Neither advances to Thursday’s Final.

Jennifer Bell set a new Provincial junior record in the Women’s Shot Put with a throw of 12.51m. She finished 7th.

Rilind Dragoshi finished 5th in the Para Shot Put with a throw of 5.30m.

Christel Robichaud got a PB and set a provincial record in the Para Discus with a throw of 13.02m. Christel finished 4th. Kellianne Richardson finished 5th with a throw of 9.94m.

In the final 5 events of the Men’s Decathlon, New Brunswick stole the show. Mitch Quigg finished 2nd overall with 6574, winning javelin and pole vault on Day 2. Mitch set a new Provincial record not only in the Decathlon but also tied Chris Robertson senior pole vault NB record and became New Brunswick’s first ever Decathlon medal. Chris Robertson just missed the podium finishins 4th with 6179 points, he acheived a personal best in the Javelin and the 1500m.

'New Brunswick athletes came through today. It has been a long time since NB stood on the podium and today was a great day for all. Everyone in the Province should be very proud of what was achieved. Our hope now is that the team roles with the energy and we continue to see outstanding NB results, `said Gabriel LeBlanc ANB techincal director.

Aug 13 2013 - Summary of Team NB results from Day 1 of athletics

SHERBROOKE, Que. (GNB) – Team New Brunswick started the first day of competition for athletics at the Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Que., with fine performances on the track and on the field .

Kellianne Richardson of Fredericton placed 4th witha throw of 3.62 and Christel Robichaud of Moncton was 5th with a toss of 4.84 . This marks the best ever result for New Brunswick in a Para Athletics event.

Alexander Williston of Bay du Vin blazed down the track in the 100 metres in 10.96 to qualify for Thursday’s A Final. This is the first time in over 20 years that a New Brunswick sprinter will be in the men’s 100m A final. Also in this event was Alex Peabody of Saint John who clocked in at 11.63 and did not make final.

Shawna McKay of Moncton ran a very strong 100m in 12.70 while Amy-Lynn Grant of Beresford ran 12.75 both qualified for Thursday B final.

In the men’s Special O 100m John Oakley ran 14.32 while JP Leger ran 14.30 both qualified for the B final on Thursday. In the women’s Special O 100m Chrystel Bradley ran 16.98 while Vero LeBlanc ran 17.59 both qualified for the B Final.

In the men’s 400m Jeff Retallick of Fredericton ran a personal best time of 49.93 , becoming only the 15th ever New Brunswick athlete the 50 second barrier . While Alex Coholan of Moncton ran a personal best time of 50.37 both athletes will be in the B final on Thursday.

In the women’s 400m Bridget Brennan of Bristol ran a personal best time of 58.82 , while Sarah Myatt of Fredericton ran a time of 57.58 both athletes will be running in the B final on Thursday.

In the men’s 1500m, Matt McNeil of Saint John ran a great race in a new personal best time of 3:57.21 and qualifies for the final that will take place on Thursday. In a very tactical race Nick MacMackin of Quispamsis finished 6th in his heat with a time of 4:03.75 and will not advance to the final.

In the women’s 1500m Sarah Macpherson of Fredericton won her qualifying heat in a time of 4:38.88 and will be joined in the final by Geneviève Lalonde of Moncton who ran 4:28.86.

In the men’s 400m hurdles, Brandon LeBlanc of Riverview ran 57.17 to qualify as the top seed for Thursday’s B final where he will join teammate Alex Coholan of Moncton who ran a personal best of 57.94.

Katie Robinson of Saint John ran a 67.89 in the women’s 400m hurdle and will advance for Thursday B finale.

In the 400m wheelchair James Brace of Interval qualified for the A final in a time 63.31.

The women’s 4x100m team were disqualified. While the men’s team composed of Alex Peabody of Saint John, Dan Brown of Hampton, Brandon Cleghorn of Salsbury and Alexander Willinston of Bay du Vin ran a time of 42.63 which breaks the New Brunswick senior record from 1989.

Both Chris Robertson of Moncton and Cameron Mclennan of Saint John qualified for Friday’s discus final , with throws of 39m27 and 37m18 respectively.

In the women’s javelin Zoe Berry of Estes Bridge qualified for Fridays final with a throw of 38.03. Lindsey Gauvin of Big River threw 37.33 but will not advance to the final.

In the first day of the men’s decathlon Mitch Quigg of Saint John is sitting in 2nd position overall with a score of 3389 points by achieving 3 personal best our of the 5 events of day 1 he is presently only 168 away from first place. Chris Robertson of Moncton is sitting in 6th place with a score of 3106 points only 154 points out of the bronze medal position at the end of day 1. The event continues with the final 5 events on Tuesday. Both Mitch and Chris have very strong in the second day events of the decathlon.

“It’s been a very successful day on the track,” said Team New Brunswick track and field coach Jennifer Butler. “Many athletes got PBs (personal bests) and some set themselves up for medal positions. We couldn’t have asked for anymore from our athletes.”

Aug 12 2013 - Day 3 Higlights of Legion Nationals

The third and final day of the 2013 National Youth Championships might have started out wet and cold but that certainly didn't stop New Brunswick from starting off with a bang.

In the first final event of the day Melissa Pellerin of Dieppe through the javelin 36.99m which was a new personal best, provincial record and earned her the bronze medal. This brought New Brunswick's medal tally for the championships to a total of five medals. This would end Team NB's medal table with 1 Gold - 1 Silver - 3 Bronze.

Other notable performances on the day were:

• Laura Dickinson of Miramichi finished 4th in the 1500m Steeple Chase in a time of 5:06.53s. This is a new personal best and provincial record by 5 seconds.

• Victoria Leblanc of Saint John winning her heat of the 300m Hurdles and in doing so lowered her own provincial record to 46.18s

• Sara Kean of Rothesay finishing 8th (2:18.78s) in the 800m

• Sara-Eve Noel broke the Midget hammer record with a throw of 35.99 to fnish 12th

• Jack Berkshire of Fredericton finished 7th in the 200m final with a time of 23.86s. Earlier in the Day Jack ran 23.83s for a new personal best.

• Alex Amos of Fredericton finished 5th in the 1500m Steeple Chase in a time of 4:37.83s.

• The youth men Adrian Kinney - Pierre Dumouchel - Anthony Cormier - Matthew Mclaughlin finished 6th in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:27.43s. This breaks the provincial record of 3:27.7h set back in 1973!

These 3 days have been very successful for New Brunswick athletes. Medals, provincial records, and numerous personal bests were present during the three days of competition. "NB athletes have shown that they can compete and are amongst the best in Canada in all event areas. I am very proud with our athletes and believe the future looks very bright for next years championships and beyond for our athletes," said high performance coach Jason Reindl who was in attendance for the meet. Reindl added, "as our focus changes to the Jeux Canada Games it is important to note that all of these athletes will be eligible for the 2017 games and everyone is excited about what is going on in New Brunswick!"

For full results check out: http://liveresults.athletics.ca/Live_Results/2013/Legion_Youth_Championships/

After many months of physical and mental preparation, the time to shine for New Brunswick’s most talented track and field athletes has finally arrived. The athletics portion of the Canada Summer Games begins in Sherbrooke, Québec on Monday, August 12 and will continue through to Friday, August 16. This is the strongest team that New Brunswick will send to the games thus far and it will surely be exciting to watch. The potential for Maroon and green on the podium has never been so promising!

Days 1 and 2 are mostly dedicated to preliminary and qualifying rounds in most events. Thirty athletes will compete on the first day, with only 2, Christel Robichaud of Moncton and Kellianne Richardson of Fredericton competing in a medal round in the Para women Shot Put.

We have 7 athletes competing in medal rounds on day 2

-Rilind Dragoshi ofMoncton in the Mens Para Shot Put,

-Mitch Quigg of Saint John and Chris Robertson of Moncton in the Men's decathlon ,

-Geneviève Lalonde of Moncton and Katie Robinson of Saint John in the women's 2000m Steeplechase

Full schedule and results can be found by visiting http://www.jeuxducanada2013.ca/en

Aug 10 2013 - CSG Profile: Ryan Cassidy

Team New Brunswick has arrived in Sherbrooke and is ready to rock and roll at the 2013 Canada Games. ANB is proud to present one final edition of our athlete bios. This week, we’ll be getting to know New Brunswick’s 5000m and 3000m steeplechase runner, Ryan Cassidy.

Since he started running in his early teens, Ryan has given New-Brunswick a lot to cheer about. From winning national youth championships in 2008 to being New Brunswick’s first national cross country champion (junior nationals, 2011), then winning the 3000m steeple at junior nationals in 2012, let’s just say, Ryan is hard to beat.

What is most impressive, and inspiring, about the University of Victoria student is that up until middle school, he was hardly considered an athlete. In fact, he recalls that throughout elementary school, he was always picked last in sports.

That is why Ryan Cassidy is living proof that when it comes to distance running, consistency, motivation, and grit are more important than natural talent.

And that might be why the Grande-Digue native has strived in the 3000m steeple. As he explains, “Being good in steeple is probably 10% hard work, 10% skill, 80% grit.”

Ryan proved to everyone that he had these traits at the 2010 World Junior trials in Moncton. Going into the event, Ryan, 17 at the time, was hoping to finish in the top 5. Most of the big names were two years older than he was.

As the race got underway, Ryan settled into around 6th place. No one in the stadium (except maybe his coach, Joël Bourgeois) could have foreseen the magic that was about to happen. Each time the NB runner passed in front of the home crowd, he had moved up a spot.

As the bell rang after six and a half grueling laps, it dawned on everyone present that Ryan was about to accomplish something great.

In a dramatic finish, which had one of the top contenders miss the water pit, Ryan fought his way to second place in a time of 9:02.27, earning a spot on team Canada.

“World junior trials in Moncton was the best race of my life, Ryan recalls. I don't remember the race hurting at all and I vaguely remember being in it. I just remember finishing it and being the happiest person in the world knowing I had qualified for the world junior championships.”

This week, Ryan will be taking part in his second Canada Games. He believes this is the year New Brunswick puts its name on the map.

“Canada Games in PEI (2009) was an amazing experience. I had so much fun hanging out with my team and cheering for our fellow maritimers in Soccer.”

“I want this year’s team to crush our performance from last Canada games. We were very close to a few medals last time around but they were just out of reach. I want our team to perform at our full potential and show the rest of Canada what we're made of.”

This week in Sherbrooke, Ryan will be running the 3000m steeplechase Tuesday night at 9:05 pm (AT). He will hit the track for a second time Saturday night at 9:20 pm (AT) for the last event scheduled in athletics at Canada Games, the 5000m.

Langley,BC- Saturday was another great day for New Brunswick Athletes at the 2013 Legion Track and Field Nationals with 3 athletes reaching the podium.

-Luisa Schwarz of Fredericton (FLTC) won the U18 girls 3000m with a time of 10:03.34 more than 5 seconds faster ahead of 2nd place finisher.

-Victoria LeBlanc of Saint John (SJTC) captured the bronze medal in the U18 girl’s long jump with a leap of 5m38. -Jordan Sonier of Miramichi was 3rd in the U18 boy’s Javelin with a personal best throw of 55m11.

Other notable performance from New Brunswick Athletes include

-Ben Fowler Grandbay-Westfield (SJTC) broke the provincial record in the U18 Boy’s Octathlon with a point total of 5077. He achieved 6 personal best out of 8 events in a grueling 2 day of competition he finished 4th overall

-In the U16 Boys 2000m Brady Graves of Saint John was 11th with a massive personal best of 5:59.06. Laura Dickinson of Miramichi (ASEA) finished 11th in the girls U16 2000m with a personal best time of 6:47.21 while Laura Bonga of Saint John (SJTC) was 23rd (7:22.66)

-Jack Berkshire of Fredericton (FFT) won his U16 300m heat to finish 6th overall with a time of 37.11 which establishes a new Provincial record, while Samuel Guitard (ACA) of Petit Rocher was 7th in 37.32 (which would have also broke the previous NB record)

-Sara Eve Noel of Alllardville (ACA) finished 5th in the U 16 Girls discus throw with a throw of 34.02m.

-Sophie Black of Dieppe (ASEA) finished 19th in the U16 girls 200m hurdle with a time of 34.62. Sebastian LeBlanc of Dieppe (ASEA)finished 8th overall in the U16 boys 200m Hurdle in a time of 28.55.

-Josh Shanks of Chance Harbour (SJTC) was able to finish 6th in the 3000m despite a leg injury in a time of 8:57.59 while Angus Macintosh of Riverview (ASEA) finished 15th in a new personal best of 9:21.86.)

- Matthew McLaughlin of New Maryland (FFT) finished 9th overall in the U18 boys 400m (49.95) while Leah Macaulay of Fredericton (FFT) finished 24th in the girls U18 400m in a time of 1:02.35.

Langley BC - Team New Brunswick had a great first day at the 2013 Legion Youth Championships in Langley BC.

-Sebastien Leblanc of Dieppe (ASEA) ran 15.81 in the heats of the boys U16 100m hurdle to qualify for the B final. In this B final the 15 year old won the B final to finish 8th overall in a time of 15.53 a new Provincial record!

-Jacob Bradley of Riverview (ASEA) finished 17th overall in the U18 Boys 110m hurdles in a time of 17.41

-New Brunswick had two represented in the girls U16 shot put Melissa Pellerin of Dieppe (ASEA) finished 12th with a toss of 9.24m while Sara-Eve Noel (ACA) of Allardville was 5th with a throw of 10.90m.

-In the U16 girls 100m Samantha Taylor of Canterbury (CYA) ran 13.04 in the heats to finish 10th overall. Marilyne Nowlan of Bouctouche (CEK) finished 21st in a time of 13.60.

- Olivier Charron of Moncton (ASEA) was 7th in the boys U16 javelin with a throw of 45.25m.

-In the Boys U16 100m Philippe Beaudin of Pigeon-Hill (APA) ran a new personal best time in the heats of 11.74 to qualify for the B final where he ran 11.95 to finish 11th overall.

-The U18 Girls 100m saw Maika Martin of Cocagne ( finish 25th in a time of 13.29, while Adrian Kinney of Bristol (CYA) was 20th in the boys U18 100m with a time of 11.86.

-In the U16 1200m New Brunswick was represented by 2 athletes , Sara Kean of Rothesay (SJTC) finished 8th in a new personal best time of 3:44.82 while Chelsea Hall of Fredericton (FFT) was 19th in a new personal best time of 3:51.32.

- Clint Steeves of Riverglade (ASEA) finished 8th in the U16 boys Triple jump with a new personal best leap of 12.10m.

- Brady Graves of Saint John (SJTC) was 13th in the boys U 16 1200m with a time of 3:24.51.

- Oliver Ebbett of Bristol was 11th overall in the U18 boys high jump witha jump of 1.75m.

-New Brunswick’s first medal came when Luisa Schwarz of Fredericton (FLTC) finished 2nd in the U18 1500m in a new personal best time of 4:38.25. Taylor Dunn of New Maryland (SJTC) was 12th in 4:48.93.

- Pierre Dumouchel of Quispamsis (SJTC) finished 8th overall in the U18 boys 1500m by winning his time section final in a new personal best time of 4:02.75.

-Ben Fowler of Grandbay-Westfield (SJTC) had a great day in the U18 boys Octathlon including a 12.12 100m, an 6.29m Long jump, a 12m44 shot put and an 54.98 400m he is currently sitting in 5th position with 4 events to go .

The always exciting 4x100m ended the first day of completion New Brunswick was very well represented

-In the U16 Girls the team of Sophie Black, Marilyne Nowlan, Laura Bonga and Samantha Taylor finished in 8th place with a time of 54.28

-The boys U16 team set a New Brunswick record with a time of 45.62 to finish 5th overall team members were Philippe Beaudin, Jack Berkshire, Nicholas Maclean and Clint Steeves.

-The U 18 boys team finished 4th in a very fast time of 44.47 team members were Anthony Cormier, Matthew McLaughlin, Jacob Bradley and Adrian Kinney

After being held in eastern Canada for the past few years, the Canadian Youth and Legion Track and Field Championships are set to take place in Langley, BC, from August 9-11. Athletes will be travelling to the West coast on Wednesday, August 7 and they could not be more excited. Competition starts on Friday august 9th.

Over 1000 athletes aged 14-17 from across Canada set to compete. Among them will be 36 New Brunswick athletes.

Among male NB team members:

-Matthew McLaughlin of New Maryland. Matthew is a strong contender in the long sprints, having run 400m in 49.33 earlier this summer this ranks him 5th in Canada in the youth division.

-Ben Fowler of Grandbay-Westfield will compete in the youth Octathlon (a 2 day event where athletes compete in 8 events) he is currently ranked 3rd nationally

- Josh Shanks of Chance Harbour is ranked 1st in Canada in the 3000m event, as he just recently represented Canada at the World Youth Championships in Donetsk, Ukraine.

Among athletes on the female side

-Fifteen year old Sara-Eve Noel of Allardville who is currently ranked 3rd in the discus.

-Luisa Schwarz of Fredericton will compete in the 1500m and the 3000m , She is currently ranked 4th in the 3000m in the youth division. She was a silver medallist at last year’s Legion Nationals in the midget 2000m.

The North American Hershey Championships took place this past Saturday in Herhsey, Pennyslvania with 12 New Brunswick athletes competing, and they did not disappoint, with several medals in one of the best years for NB athletes.

- Malcolm Christie of Fredericton captured the gold medal in the boys 9-10 50m dash in a time of 7.44

- Kristopher McFadden of Moncton claimed the silver medal in the boys 11-12 200m dash with a time of 26.00.

- Both 4x100m relay teams captured bronze with the boys team comprised of Sebastien Boudreau of Petit-Rocher, Alex Roussel of Benoit, Marc-Antoine McGraw of Village Blanchard, and Samuel Brideau of Duguayville with a time of 49.86 while the girls team was comprised of Onye Njoku of Fredericton, Bailey Lockard of Fredericton, Julia Dickinson of Fredericton, Samantha Taylor of Canterbury with a time of 52.69.

- Johanna McGuigan of Fredericton placed 8thin the girls 11-12 100m in a time of 14.13.

- Laura Dickinson of Miramichi placed 7th in the girls 13-14 1600m in a time of 5:20.66.

"To have this many medals at the Hershey North American Championships truly shows that NB athletes are on the rise", said Gabriel LeBlanc, Technical Director of Athletics New Brunswick. "These are the athletes that we will be looking out for in the future as they progress through the Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships and onward."

The HERSHEY’S Track & Field Games is the largest youth sports program of its kind in the United States and Canada. Events take place in every state and most provinces in North America, and hundreds of athletes make it to the grand finale — the North American Final in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

The Hershey Youth Program was offered on a state-wide level in West Virginia in 1976, became a 10-state regional event in 1977, and offered nationally across the United States in 1978. Participants from Canada first entered the first North American Final in 1996.

Over the weeks leading up to Canada Games, Athletics New-Brunswick will present their top athletes. This week, we present to you Veronica Coombes.

Veronica Coombes is a young up-and-coming track athlete from Moncton, New Brunswick. She began her athletic career when she only eleven, and now at the age of fifteen she is certainly making a name for herself.

Coombes was born with spina bifida, but as her current coach Gabriel LeBlanc points out, “she never let her disability stop her”. Veronica was not involved in sports when she younger, although she was a fan of horseback riding. But that all changed in 2009 when a parent of another track athlete at informed her about a para track and field team that was to be formed in Moncton. Veronica was intrigued by such news and decided to investigate the opportunity.

Coombes liked what she found in the track atmosphere, and has been involved ever since. She represented New Brunswick at the 2009 Canada Games , she was the youngest NB team member. The Games provided a great learning experience for her and certainly help to propel her into the competitive aspects of the sport.

Nowadays Veronica trains three times a week at the track at UdeM in anticipation of the upcoming Canada Games, as well as doing strength training to complement her intervals. When it comes to racing Coombes prefers sprint distances. She races and trains mostly short distance, ranging from 60m all the way to 1500m.

Veronica currently holds several records in the Athletics New Brunswick Para Division, and she attributes much of her success to the guidance of her coach, Gabriel. “He has helped me a lot in pushing, and working on strokes” Coombes remarked in reference to the technique used to propel the chair.

With the 2013 Canada Games fast approaching, I asked Veronica what her outlook was going into the Games. She will be competing in the 200 , 400m and 1500m and simply says that she is “mostly excited, but a little bit nervous”. Yet she has a certain confidence about her, as she has competed in the Games before and is now four years more experienced. Where the 2009 Games were simply to experience something new, Coombes is now ready to compete. In fact she is ranked the top 3 in all her events heading to the games.

Veronica has big aspirations for the years ahead. She hopes to make the Canadian National Team in time to compete in the Paralympics in Brazil in 2016.

Lastly I asked Veronica what advice she would offer someone younger who may be interested in pursuing the sport, or athletics in general. The question resonated well with Coombes, as she herself was lucky enough to become involved at a young age. Her answer spoke to the enjoyment she gets out of the sport. “Have fun” seemed to be her main message. “Don’t worry about competition yet”.